Rights Group Says Netanyahu Visit Puts US Complicity in Spotlight

As Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived in Washington, D.C. ahead of his planned speech to a joint meeting of the U.S. Congress, a leading human rights organization said Tuesday that the visit by Israel's deeply unpopular leader shines a spotlight on the American government's complicity in atrocities committed in the Gaza Strip.

"U.S. officials are well aware of the mounting evidence that Israeli forces have committed war crimes in Gaza, including most likely with U.S. weapons," Human Rights Watch (HRW) executive director Tirana Hassan said in a statement. "U.S. lawmakers should be seriously concerned about the liability risks of continuing to provide arms and intelligence based on Israel's flimsy assurances that it's abiding by the laws of war."

The U.S. is Israel's leading ally, supplying the country with more weaponry than any other nation and frequently providing diplomatic cover on the world stage despite Israeli forces' frequent human rights violations in the illegally occupied Palestinian territories.

On Monday, as Netanyahu traveled to the U.S. capital, Israeli forces killed dozens of Palestinians in a massive attack in southern Gaza.

"It is like doomsday," one Gaza resident told Reuters.

"The invitation lends legitimacy to his deadly siege and bombardment—at a time when his governing coalition continues to bombard Gaza."

A U.S. State Department report published in May said it is "reasonable to assess" that Israeli forces have used American weaponry in ways "inconsistent" with international law, but the Biden administration has continued to approve arms sales to the country—including a previously delayed shipment of 500-pound bombs—despite mounting calls for a weapons embargo.

Legal experts have warned since the start of Israel's nearly 10-month assault on Gaza that U.S. officials risk being deemed complicit in genocide if they continue arming the Israeli government. A number of U.S. officials have resigned in protest of the Biden administration's support for Israel's war on Gaza.

HRW said Tuesday that the United States and other nations "should suspend military assistance and arms sales to Israel" and use their "leverage with Israel to save lives."

"Israeli forces have unlawfully attacked residential buildings, medical facilities, and aid workers, restricted medical evacuations, and used starvation as a weapon of war in the Gaza Strip, where nearly 500,000 people are experiencing a 'catastrophic' lack of food in famine-like conditions," the group said. "A staggering more than 38,600 Palestinians have been killed, according to the Gaza Health Ministry."

The organization's statement came as Netanyahu arrived in the U.S. capital at the invitation of Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), who have helped approve billions of dollars in military aid for Israel.

A number of lawmakers are expected to boycott the Israeli leader's speech, and U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris—who is expected to become the 2024 Democratic presidential nominee—will not be in attendance for Netanyahu's address due to a previously scheduled campaign event. U.S. President Joe Biden, who dropped out of the presidential race over the weekend, is expected to meet with Netanyahu at the White House on Thursday.

U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) announced late Monday that he will boycott Netanyahu's speech, writing in a social media post that the Israeli prime minister's "war strategy killed 12,000+ women and children, inflicted widespread starvation, and prioritized his political survival over the release of hostages."

"He should not have a platform before Congress," Merkley added.

Oxfam America president and CEO Abby Maxman echoed that message, saying in a statement Tuesday that "it is wildly inappropriate for Congress to have extended an invitation for Prime Minister Netanyahu to speak."

"The invitation lends legitimacy to his deadly siege and bombardment—at a time when his governing coalition continues to bombard Gaza, international condemnation is growing, Israelis are demanding that hostages be brought home, and, under his leadership, the Israeli military is bombing aid workers, schools and hospitals," said Maxman.

"Instead of granting Prime Minister Netanyahu the platform to advance his government's deadly policies before Congress," she added, "U.S. leaders must cut off the supply of bombs that are being used to kill civilians, destroy infrastructure, and undermine any hope for peace."